A group of new-to-triathlon ladies have been taking part in a pilot programme organised by British Triathlon, in partnership with North Yorkshire Sport and The Active Forest, which aimed to encourage more ladies to take part in the sport.
GO TRI Something New uses British Triathlon's entry level programme GO TRI; a low cost, no frills event held locally with distances designed for beginners, making triathlon and its multisport family such as duathlon truly accessible for all.
On Sunday 11th September the group took part in their first GO TRI Duathlon in the This Girl Can wave at Dalby Forest. Leading up to this, the ladies have taken part in a six-week training programme.
The ladies were coached by British Triathlon qualified coaches Alison Crellin and Jacqui Saxon. Sessions covered running, cycling skills, transition practice and ended with a course recce to prepare the ladies for the big day! Transition practice clearly worked, check out Abbie’s flying dismount on race day on the facebook page!
The This Girl Can campaign confirmed that 2 million less women take part in sport and physical activity than men and that fear of judgement is the biggest factor holding them back from taking part. In addition to the skill and fitness development, the coaches and behind the scenes team have worked hard to provide motivation, confidence and belief that they can achieve it and take part in the event.
Seeing the ladies grow in confidence each week to finally complete the event has been amazing & to be honest, a privilege.
One of the participants Sally said that the transition session was "a lovely inspiring, informative session. I'm excited about the duathlon". Linden thanked the coaches for their "patience and enthusiasm" and said "I've really enjoyed the training".
Behind the exercise, the coaches work hard at making sure that the sessions were fun and accessible to all: Abbie told us "what a fab trainer Jacqui is, she is so good at making exercising fun! Even though spinning killed me tonight it was so much fun!" Jacqui said, "Seeing the ladies grow in confidence each week to finally complete the event has been amazing & to be honest, a privilege."
Paul, Recreation Ranger at Dalby Forest who host the GO TRI events told us: "Dalby has really enjoyed hosting both the GO TRI Something New programme and our regular GO TRI Events. To see the sense of achievement on smiling faces as they crossed the finish line coupled with a sunny forest backdrop was utterly amazing. Visiting our woods and forests for pleasure or training is a truly unique experience and programmes like these not only help with our health and wellbeing but also with what can be achieved with the right support and motivation".
Programmes like these not only help with our health and wellbeing but also with what can be achieved with the right support and motivation.
Following the event, Abbie said "it was tough, but we all did it!"
Michelle Scott, Triathlon England Engagement Manager, "The Rio 2016 Olympic Games provided a unique moment in time where we can turn inspiration into participation, and GO TRI Something New in Ryedale has allowed us to do exactly that. We are excited to be working closely with North Yorkshire Sport and Dalby Forest to open the sport's doors to a whole new audience. We hope now to roll out GO TRI Something New activities across the country and encourage more people to get active."
The next GO TRI Dalby Duathlon has been confirmed as Sunday 16th October. If you want to GO TRI Something New, then why not sign up today. Click here.
